Desk.



, PATENT-ED MAY 5,1903. v

A. F. WERNIGKE.

DESK.

APPLICATION FILED D20. 19. 1902.

2 SHEETSSEEET 1,

N0 MODEL.-

PATENT ED MAY 5, 1903.

A. F. WERNIGKE.

DESK. v APPLICATION FILED DEG. 19. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES- Patented May 5, 1 903.

PAT NT OFFICE.

ALFRED F. WERNICKE, OF NORWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLOBE WERNIOKE COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,241, dated May 5, 1903. Application filed December 19,1902. Serial No. 136,892. No model- To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED F. WERNICKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norwood, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Desks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification;

My invention relates to writing-desks capable of being inserted in and forming part of what is commonly known as an elastic bookcase, or a bookcase built. up of separate sections or units; and it has for its object certain novel features of construction whereby a desk of this character may be cheaply built and be very efficient and convenient.

The novelty of my invention will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1,"

Sheet 1, is a perspective view showing my desk in position in an elastic bookcase- Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a central sectional side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a plan view of one of the supporting-legs, showing the turn-buttons for holding the same in place.

Fig. 4, Sheet'2, is a detail sectional plan view of one end of the desk and one end of the bookcase unit -section, showing the interlocking connections between the two and-as sociated parts. Y

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.

A is the desk, which is composed of the bottom piece B, side walls 0, hinged front D, back E, Fig. 2, and top strips F and G. A drawer H is provided to rest and slide upon the bottom piece B. Any suitable supporting-link I may be provided for maintaining the hinged front D. in a horizontal position when it is let down and the desk is in use, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2. Any suitable pigeonholes or shelves may be placed within the upper part of the desk, as shown atgJ, Fig. 2.

The supporting-legs K are preferably made detachable and secured to the base-piece B by dowel-pins L, Fig. 3, and dotted lines, Fig.

2. These dowelpins serve to prevent the legs from being moved laterally in any direction, and as a means of preventing the legs from being pulled away from the bottom and of the dowel-pins I provide turn-buttons M, Figs. 2 and 3, which are secured to the basepiece B and turn into notches N (dotted lines, Fig. 3) in the brackets O, secured to the legs K. This construction forms a cheap and convenient-method of detachably securing the legs K to the desk.

If preferred, the legs may be rigidly secured to the desk; but I prefer to secure them detachably for purposes of shipment and for convenience in handling the parts.

As shown in the drawings, the desk rests upon any suitable unit P, which in turn rests upon any suitable base Q, resting on the floor, and adjacent bases Q and units P may be added and built'up around and" above the desk to any extent desired, so as to incorporate the desk in the bookcase in any convenient place.

l/Vhile I have shown the units P as being units of a bookcase, it is obvious that they may contain card-files, letter-files, or anything of a similar nature. The supportingl eg's K are so spaced apart that they will not interfere with the opening or closing of the doors of the units P or with the operation of any part of any kind of a unit that may be used in conjunction with the desk, and the top and bottom of the desk are constructed in the same manner as the top and bottom of the rest of the units, so that when put together the whole will be solid and firm.

The units P, forming the bookcase or cabinet portions of the structure, are united in the usual or any suitable manner so as to be interlocked, and their end-to-end connections are shown in Fig. 1, where I? (see also Fig. 4) is a strap-iron secured to the lower edge of each section and carrying a flaring or dovetailed plate (Z, set transversely of the strap, and the next abutting unit is provided with a similar strap-iron, such as a, Fig. 4:, provided with a vertically-set flaring or dovetailed plate 0, whichwhen "two units are brought together end to end interlocks with the plate d to prevent their separation. This is an old well-known manner of uniting the unit-sections and forms no part of my present invention in its details of construction.

In the detail section, Fig. 4, the sides or end walls 0 of the desk are shown as similarly provided with strap-irons a, and plates 0 to interlock with the strap-irons and plates 1) d upon the ends of the unit-sections P and by means of which the desk is interlocked with the unit-sections, as will be readily understood.

It is to be observed that the desk is an exact multiple of each unit-section and in the present illustration is the size of two unitsections in width and height, though it projects beyond the front of the unit-sections, and by this construction I am enabled to apply the desk at any point in the unit-sections desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim 1. In a unit system, the combination with interlocked unit-sections, of a desk constituting a multiple of each unit-section, said desk being, secured to, supported by and forming part of said system, and means for interlocking its end walls with the adjacent end Walls of the unit-sections, substantially as described.

2. In a unit system, the combination with interlocked unit-sections, ot a desk constituting a multiple of each unit-section, supported by and forming part of said system with its front portion projecting beyond the front of the unit-sections, supporting-legs for the projecting part of said desk, and means for interlockiug the end Walls of the desk with the adjacent end walls of the unit-sections, substantially as described.

3. In a unit system, the combination with the unit-sections, of a desk-secured to, supported by and forming part of said system, supporting-legs detachably secured to the base of the desk and for the purpose of supporting the extending portion of said desk, and turn-buttons adapted to engage recesses in said supporting-legs said turn-buttons being secured to the base-piece of the desk, and dowel-pins adapted to prevent lateral movement of the supporting-legs, substantially as described.

ALFRED F. WERNICKE. lVitnesses:

GEORGE S. BAILY, EDWARD Pack. 

